International Women’s Day 2025: A Call for Action to Advance Women’s Rights, Equality, and Empowerment

The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark document adopted in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

On 8 March 2025, join the global community to celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme, “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” This theme emphasizes the need for urgent action to unlock equal rights, opportunities, and power for all, while ensuring that no woman or girl is left behind. At the heart of this call for change is the empowerment of youth, particularly young women and adolescent girls, who are positioned as catalysts for lasting transformation.

The 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration: A Pivotal Moment for Gender Equality

The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark document adopted in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. This blueprint for gender equality was endorsed by 189 governments and remains the most comprehensive and globally accepted framework for advancing the rights of women and girls worldwide.

The Beijing Platform for Action continues to shape global policies, programs, and investments that address critical issues such as:

Education

Health

Peace

Media

Political participation

Economic empowerment

The elimination of violence against women and girls

Urgency for Action Amid Growing Challenges

The world faces an urgent need to address gender equality, with just five years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite progress, the current global climate presents new challenges, including rising insecurity, armed conflicts, and a disturbing erosion of rights. In 2024 alone, 612 million women and girls lived amid armed conflict—a 50% increase in just a decade.

International Women’s Day 2025: A Rallying Cry for Action

The global campaign for the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration—“For ALL Women and Girls”—calls for action in three key areas:

1. Advance Women’s and Girls’ Rights: Fight relentlessly for the full range of women’s and girls’ human rights, and challenge all forms of violence, discrimination, and exploitation.

2. Promote Gender Equality: Dismantle patriarchal systems and address systemic barriers. Elevate the voices of marginalized women, girls, and youth to ensure inclusivity and empowerment.

3. Foster Empowerment: Redefine power structures by ensuring inclusive access to education, employment, leadership, and decision-making spaces. Prioritize opportunities for young women and girls to lead and innovate.

A Global Call to Action

On this International Women’s Day, engage media, governments, community leaders, and youth to take action in local communities. Advocate for investment in women’s rights and gender equality. Share stories and messages on digital platforms to inspire dialogue and mobilize action.

Together, we can close the gender gap and help build a world where all women and girls can thrive.

Key Achievements Since the Beijing Platform for Action

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action has driven substantial progress in key areas of women’s rights:

• Legal Protection: Before 1995, only 12 countries had legal sanctions against domestic violence. Today, there are 1,583 legislative measures across 193 countries, including 354 targeting domestic violence specifically. These laws represent a collective refusal to tolerate abuse and impunity.

• Access to Services: The Beijing Platform demanded essential services like shelters, legal aid, counseling, and healthcare for survivors of violence. These services have expanded globally, providing critical lifelines for countless women and girls.

• Youth Engagement: The Beijing agenda sparked the rise of young feminists who now drive movements for gender justice, using digital platforms and leading activism for equality.

• Changing Social Norms: The agenda ignited a global movement challenging harmful stereotypes and paving the way for gender-equal laws, policies, and institutions.

• Women’s Participation in Peace: The Platform emphasized the need for full participation of women in peace and security, resulting in 112 countries now having National Action Plans on women, peace, and security, a significant increase from only 19 in 2010. These plans have enhanced women’s roles in conflict resolution and post-conflict recovery.

Challenges Ahead

Despite significant strides since 1995, overlapping crises and the erosion of rights present new barriers to women’s advancement. This International Women’s Day, we must remain committed to fighting for women’s rights—the world cannot afford to take a step back.

Join UN Women in reaffirming our commitment to women’s rights and gender equality. The Beijing Platform has already transformed the global women’s rights agenda, and we must continue to build on that foundation, ensuring a better and more equitable future for women and girls everywhere.